Artisan (album)

"Endless Game" was featured as the theme for a TV drama Yūwaku aired on TBS in 1990. It was released as a single in April 1990, and became his third top-5 hit as a performer on the Japanese Oricon singles chart. Also in the same year, Yamashita contributed a song "Without You" for Debbie Gibson, which was issued as a Japan-only single and the bonus disc for Japanese edition of her third album Anything is Possible. Yamashita rewrote the song and recorded by himself, under the title "Sayonara Natsu no Hi". His rendition of the song was released as the second lead single for Artisan in May 1991. It gained a similar commercial success to its predecessor, though it couldn't reach the top-ten.

"Atom no Ko", the lead-off track of Artisan is a song dedicated to the late Osamu Tezuka, a Japanese manga artist who died in 1989 ("Atom" is a protagonist and the original Japanese name for Astro Boy, one of Tezuka's most prominent works). In 1992, it was released as the fourth single from the album. He also sings of a painting Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway by J. M. W. Turner on the third track entitled "Turner's Steamroller" which similarly became a single. Fifth track of the album is a cover version of "New York is a Lonely Town", a song written by Anders/Poncia and recorded by their group The Trade Winds. Yamashita interpreted the mid-1960s U.S. top-40 charting hit, slightly changing the part of the lyrics. On the eighth track, Yamashita's spouse Mariya Takeuchi wrote the lyrics to his composition. Aside from "Mighty Smile", the couple wrote three songs together for Masayuki Suzuki's second solo album Radio Days in 1988.^[2] Among them, Yamashita recorded "Misty Mauve" for Artisan, although it was not released until 2002 on his Rarities album.^[3] The closing track of Artisan is a cover version of The Young Rascals' 1967 U.S. number-one hit.^[4] It has been also the ending theme for Sunday Songbook, a weekly radio program that Yamashita has hosted since 1992.

All songs written and composed by Tatsuro Yamashita, except where indicated

1. "Atom no Ko (アトムの子, Atomu no Ko)" – 4:26
2. "Sayonara Natsu no Hi (さよなら夏の日)" – 4:36
3. "Turner no Kikansha (ターナーの汽罐車, Tānā no Kikansha) -Turner's Steamroller-" – 4:34
4. "Kataomoi (片想い)" – 4:39
5. "Tokyo's a Lonely Town" (Vincent Poncia Jr., Pete Andreoli, lyrics adaptations by Yamashita) – 2:41
6. "Human (飛遊人, Hyūman)" – 1:48
7. "Splendor" – 5:25
8. "Mighty Smile (Mahou no Hohoemi (魔法の微笑み))" (Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi) – 3:14
9. " "Queen of Hype" Blues" – 5:15
10. "Endless Game" – 4:10
11. "Groovin'" (Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati) – 3:20

1. "Morning Shine (モーニング・シャイン)" – 4:21
2. "Atom no Ko" (アトムの子, Atomu no Ko)" [Remix version] – 4:28
3. "Sayonara Natsu no Hi (さよなら夏の日)" [Alternate vocal version] – 4:35
4. "Turner no Kikansha (ターナーの汽罐車, Tānā no Kikansha) -Turner's Steamroller-" [Single version] – 4:33
5. "Sayonara Natsu no Hi (さよなら夏の日)" [Original karaoke] – 4:36
6. "Endless Game" [Original karaoke] – 4:08

Atom No Ko (アトムの子)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Glockenspiel, Effects, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Kazuhito Murata, Mariya Takeuchi, Masamichi Sugi : Backing Vocals
• Motoya Hamaguchi: Percussion

Sayonara Natsu no Hi (さよなら夏の日)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Acoustic Piano, Synthesizer, Handbell, Percussion, Backing Vocals

Turner's Steamroller (ターナーの汽罐車)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals
• Hiroyuki Namba: Acoustic Piano

Kataomoi (片想い)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Synthesizer, Glockenspiel, Percussion

Tokyo's A Lonely Town (トウキョウズ・ア・ロンリー・タウン)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer, Hammond Organ, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Hiroyuki Namba: Acoustic Piano

Human (飛遊人)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Acoustic Piano, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals

Splendor (スプレンダー)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Kazuhito Murata, Mariya Takeuchi, Masamichi Sugi: Backing Vocals
• Jun Aoyama : Drums
• Koki Ito: Electric Bass
• Masato Matsuda: Acoustic Piano
• Toru Shigemi: Synthesizer

Mighty Smile （魔法の微笑み)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Electric Guitar, Hammond Organ, Synthesizer, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Mariya Takeuchi: Backing Vocals
• Makoto Hirahara: Baritone Saxophone
• Hiroyuki Namba: Acoustic Piano
• Jake H. Concepcion: Tenor Saxophone
• Yasuo Hirauchi: Trombone
• Kenichiro Hayashi, Susumu Kazuhara: Trumpet

“Queen Of Hype” Blues (クイーン・オブ・ハイプ・ブルース)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Electric Guitar, Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Glockenspiel, Effects, Backing Vocals

Endless Game (エンドレス・ゲーム)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Computer Programming, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Sitar, Acoustic Piano, Synthesizer, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Jun Aoyama: Drums
• Tadanori Konakawa: Trombone

Groovin' (グルーヴィン)

• Tatsuro Yamashita: Drum Programming, Computer Programming, Nylon Guitar, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals
• Toru Shigemi: Synthesizer